EDITORIAL: Hard to argue against 4,000 new jobs

Published: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 04:59 PM.

If Gov. McCrory enters the state into a compact with the Catawba tribe, the state will draw a percentage of revenue from the operation. When then-Gov. Perdue signed an amended compact with the Cherokee in 2011, those revenue funds went towards North Carolina classrooms.

The tribe, too, would benefit by having a percentage of its revenue go towards social service and education programs for the nearly 3,000 Catawba indians who live in Cleveland, Rutherford, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, and Cabarrus counties as well as within South Carolina.

Could some visitors become addicted to gambling? We're not so naive to pretend that won't happen to a negligible percentage of tourists. But does that mean we toss all beer off the grocery store shelves becomes some people can't consume in moderation?

And do we let that stand in the way of thousands of hard-working Cleveland, Gaston, Rutherford and Lincoln county residents getting a job?

The government should look for better things to do than to try to legislate morality. Helping create much-needed jobs would be a better use of time and energy.

Years later, Cleveland County is still rebounding from the crash of the textile industry and the Great Recession.

But we've seen successes.

We saw it in the form of Clearwater Paper, bringing more than 200 blue collar jobs to our community. In the form of an AT&T data center, bringing millions of dollars in capital and offering high-paid positions for those who would otherwise find that specialized work outside the county. And in the form of German-owned and operated KSM Castings, who will make Cleveland County its first U.S. manufacturing facility.

But you could add up every single one of the industry jobs the county has attracted in the past 10 years and it would roughly equal the single project currently on the table, that of a Catawba Indian Nation resort and casino.

The magnitude of 4,000 new jobs created within this community cannot be overstated. It changes everything.

That's why we devoted nearly the entire local news section of Sunday's Star to the issue. And it's a complex one. It's become political. It's created debate, mostly in Raleigh than within our county borders.

Here's where there's no debate. We need jobs.

The Cleveland County unemployment rate is in double digits, where it's remained off and on since the Recession hit.

Earlier this year, The Star published a special edition entitled 'The Aging Crisis.' The articles and viewpoints within noted our aging population and our growing inability to attract and retain younger families. Residents we spoke to said Cleveland County needed more attractions, more retail and restaurant options and competitive salaries.

Whether directly or indirectly, a resort like the one the Catawba are planning would certainly play a part in filling that void.

State legislators have been quoted as saying a resort located off I-85 in Kings Mountain would attract several times the number of visitors than Harrah's Cherokee, located closer to the Tennessee state line. Harrah's sees more than 3 million tourists annually.

That's not to say Cleveland County residents will pack into the 1,500 hotel rooms on a nightly basis. The regional draw, as Harrah's has shown, will bring in visitors from throughout neighboring states. Officials say this would be the only casino and resort of its kind on I-85 between Maryland and Florida.

Are there negatives? From a county or state standpoint, they remain to be seen.

The county isn't offering incentives to attract the Catawba. Construction alone would employ a reported 5,000 workers. Following construction at the remote I-85 location, it's anticipated more hotels and restaurants would be built nearby the resort to give visitors additional options.

If Gov. McCrory enters the state into a compact with the Catawba tribe, the state will draw a percentage of revenue from the operation. When then-Gov. Perdue signed an amended compact with the Cherokee in 2011, those revenue funds went towards North Carolina classrooms.

The tribe, too, would benefit by having a percentage of its revenue go towards social service and education programs for the nearly 3,000 Catawba indians who live in Cleveland, Rutherford, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, and Cabarrus counties as well as within South Carolina.

Could some visitors become addicted to gambling? We're not so naive to pretend that won't happen to a negligible percentage of tourists. But does that mean we toss all beer off the grocery store shelves becomes some people can't consume in moderation?

And do we let that stand in the way of thousands of hard-working Cleveland, Gaston, Rutherford and Lincoln county residents getting a job?

The government should look for better things to do than to try to legislate morality. Helping create much-needed jobs would be a better use of time and energy.